I decided to focus on my master bedroom, master bathroom and family room. I do this partly because these spaces represent the rest of my house and. . .these spaces are the neatest. I can’t even think of showing you the sitting room that adjoins my bedroom (also my husband’s home office), my kitchen (I just hosted a slumber party for 8 nine-year-old girls. . .what a mess), or my children’s bedrooms. There just aren’t enough hours to properly stage them for the camera. (I hope to get to them soon)

So, without further delay. . .drum roll please. . .

Welcome to my master bedroom. This space is my sanctuary. I chose calming colors with warm, rich chocolately accents. The curtains are blackout curtains so (if I ever had the chance) I could sleep in after the sunrise. This is also the place where I have my home office. The desk is a vanity that is part of a set of furniture I got from my grandmother. The desk chair was part of a set I found on freecycle and the leather chair was a bargain from Craigslist (it reclines!). You can also see my file cabinet and how I integrated functional storage with attractive art.

The french doors lead to our adjoining sitting room. We added these doors a few years ago. These used to be two separate rooms. The sitting room is where my husband has his office (he works from home) as well as a comfy sleeper sofa (a back-up guest room) with a large flat panel television (this is where the hubby and I retreat to in the evening to watch stuff we recorded on our DVR).

The en-suite master bathroom has been featured here before. We remodeled it and added some much needed square footage. It is now a serene and warm place to begin and end each day. I also created a candelier for this space when I could not find the perfect piece.

Our family room is the first thing you enter as you come in the front door (we lack a proper foyer). I tried to create a foyer space through furniture and rug placement. The focal point is our unique, free-standing, stacked stone fireplace. We use it constantly in the winter and is one of the reasons we bought the house. The family room is gathering place, library, television room, game room and more. I chose all of the wall and trim colors for this space while I was still living on the West coast. I had only seen the house twice and this was a huge design leap-of-faith. The painter once said to me that I had chosen really bold colors…he lacked my vision. The house is surrounded by 60 foot tall trees and gets little natural light. I chose colors that worked well in artificial light and the cold light of winter. I knew white would never work (I agree with Maria Killam).

I have been having a lot of decorator’s frustration lately. I really want to be working on the beach house but the snow has trapped us at home. All I can think about is finishing walls, floors and paint so I can decorate and take the “after pictures”.

The blahs have made me ignore my house…but I was inspired by a pair of topiaries I bought at Walmart for 1/2 off! I told myself I was buying them for the beach house but then I tested them out in my family room and I Loove them! This entire tablescape cost me $15. I already had the books and the buddha candle holder was from Freecycle about a year ago.

Topiary tablescape with buddha candle holder

This success inspired me to look around and try other new arrangements.

I also hung some art I bought on a trip to Puerto Rico last year. I love the texture of the frames and the colors of the art against my family room wall color.

I also bought some new fluffy, white towels for my kids’ bathroom. I corralled their toothbrushes and stuff in a wire basket that was just holding some junk. The change is minor but I think it feels fresher.

We still plan to update this bathroom (lose the wallpaper, add a double sink, etc). It’s on our future “to do” list.

I recently read an inspiring and eloquent post at Centsational Girl. She expresses her thoughts about what makes a house a home.

This is why I get so sad when people tell me that they are not proud of their home. That it’s only temporary and not worth making it “home”. That they avoid having friends over because they are embarassed.

I have discovered that I am passionate about helping people make their house (even temporary or rental houses/apartments) a home. A place that nurtures you and helps you recharge. A place that reflects who you are. A place you happily invite others to share. A welcome home.

This is why I started my blog. It is why I offer decorating advice to friends. It is why I am so happy to create a welcoming beach house and then share it with strangers.

I have decided to start a portfolio of my projects (completed for myself or others). I intend to get serious about my passion and begin offering my services to the world (or at least my county). This is scary stuff. I feel like I am jumping off a cliff. All of my insecurities come out. What if I’m not really as good as I think? What if I don’t get any clients? What if they don’t like me?

I have not gotten anything I wanted by standing around and waiting for it to come to me. I will just take a deep breath …and…jump.